This taxon is considered to be a full species based on evidence from Arribas (1996), Carranza et al. (2004), Crochet et al. (2004), Mayer and Arribas (1996, 2003) and Odierna et al. (1996). It was formerly treated as a subspecies of Iberolacerta monticola. The specific status of this taxon is supported by morphology (Arribas 1996), allozymes (Mayer and Arribas 1996) and mitochondrial DNA (Mayer and Arribas 2003; Carranza et al. 2004a; Crochet et al. 2004). It was formerly included in the genus Lacerta, but is now included in Iberolacerta, following Carranza et al. (2004), and based on evidence from Arribas (1998, 1999), Carranza et al. (2004), Harris et al. (1998) and Mayer and Arribas (2003).

Justification:
Listed as Endangered because its Extent of Occurrence is less than 5,000 km2, its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat.

Arribas, O.J. 1998. Osteology of the Pyreanean mountain lizards and comparison with other species of the collective genus Archaeolacerta Mertens, 1921 s.l. from Europe and Asia Minor. Herpetozoa 11: 155-180.

Arribas, O.J. 1999. Phylogeny and relationships of the mountain lizards of Europe and Near East (Archaeolacerta Mertens, 1921, sensu lato) and their relationships among the eurasian lacertid radiation. Russian Journal of Herpetology 6(1): 1-22.

Mayer, W. and Arribas, O.J. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of the European lacertid genera Archaeolacerta and Iberolacerta and their relationships to some other ‘Archaeolacertae’ (sensu lato) from Near East, derived from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Journal of zoological Systematics and evolutionary Research 41: 157-161.

Sindaco, R. and Jeremčenko, V.K. 2008. The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. Edizioni Belvedere, Latina (Italy).